Han Zhenfeng: Deeply Understanding the Core Essence of a Correct Outlook on Performance Assessments
The concept of achievements (政绩观) is the concrete manifestation of a leading official’s worldview, outlook on life, and values; it serves as a yardstick for measuring how they perform their duties and initiate undertakings. What kind of concept of achievements is established not only affects the healthy growth of leading officials themselves but also bears upon the future and destiny of the cause of the Party and the state. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "We must establish a correct concept of achievements, and resolve the issues of for whom achievements are made, what kind of achievements are made, and by what means achievements are made." General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct concept of achievements reveal its scientific inner meaning and core essentials, pointing out the direction and providing a fundamental follow-through for Party members and officials, especially leading officials.
1. Resolving the issue of "for whom achievements are made"
"For whom achievements are made" is a major question that every political party must face and answer; it centrally reflects a party’s value pursuits and political stance. Establishing a correct concept of achievements first requires resolving this issue. For the leading officials of our Party, achievements must be made for the people.
People-centeredness is the essential attribute and distinctive character of a Marxist party, and the people’s position is the fundamental political position of the Communist Party of China (CPC). This essential attribute and fundamental position dictate that the CPC must always adhere to building the Party for the public interest and governing for the people. The core connotation and fundamental requirement of establishing a correct concept of achievements is "benefiting the people." General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "The CPC’s governance in China is for the purpose of benefiting the people; only by achieving this can our Party’s foundation of governance be as solid as a rock." He further stated: "The CPC regards handling affairs and creating benefits for the people as the most important achievement, and uses how many good and practical things have been done for the common people as the important standard for testing achievements." Only by firmly grasping this core requirement of benefiting the people and using it to guide actions can a correct concept of achievements be firmly established and practiced.
Adhering to the principle that achievements are made for the people and regarding benefiting the people as the greatest achievement is a concept rooted in the basic principles of the Marxist historical materialism, the nature and purpose of a proletarian party, the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists, and the people-centered attribute of our country’s socialist system. As a proletarian party guided by Marxism, the CPC has been a party that serves the people heart and soul since the day of its founding. Aside from the interests of the state, the nation, and the people, it has no special interests of its own, nor does it represent any interest group or privileged stratum. The CPC was born for the people and thrives because of the people; the Party’s fundamental purpose is serving the people heart and soul. The Party’s nature and purpose dictate that it must always represent the fundamental interests of the broadest possible masses of the people, and must wholeheartedly strive for their interests and happiness.
To uphold the correct concept of achievements focused on benefiting the people, we must always regard the people as the supreme arbiter and final judge of the Party’s work. Making the people satisfied is the fundamental standard and value measure for our Party to do all work well. Is our work done well? Have achievements been made? These questions can only be finally judged by the people. Every Party member and official, especially leading officials, should steadfastly maintain the attitude of ensuring that good and practical deeds reach the hearts of the masses, truly remaining responsible to history and the people.
2. Resolving the issue of "what kind of achievements are made"
The guidance of a particular concept of achievements and its implementation will result in specific developmental outcomes. Whether the concept of achievements is upright and correct largely determines the success or failure of our cause. What kind of achievements should Party members and officials in the New Era create? Put simply, they must create "actual results that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history." Specifically, to ensure achievements withstand these tests, efforts must be made in the following areas:
First, establish achievements that reflect the requirements of high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "High-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects; adhering to high-quality development must become an important component of leading officials’ concept of achievements." Promoting high-quality development is the theme of China’s economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [1]. The "theme" is the "key link" (纲); only when the key link is grasped can the details fall into place (目张). Only by integrating high-quality development into all aspects and the entire process of economic and social development can we truly create results that reflect high-quality development. Whether leading officials can truly promote high-quality development in their work should become an important element and evaluation standard for their concept of achievements. At the start of the "15th Five-Year Plan," to ensure high-quality development, we must establish and practice a correct concept of achievements, firmly grasp the theme of high-quality development, live up to the people’s trust, fulfill the mission of the era, remain unswerving and proactive, and strive to create glorious achievements belonging to the New Era.
Second, establish achievements that meet the people’s needs for a better life. Entering the New Era, the principal contradiction in Chinese society has undergone a historical change, with the people’s needs for a better life characterized by diversity and multi-level requirements. People not only have higher requirements for material life but also increasingly rich demands for spiritual and cultural life. Under these circumstances, the people’s needs for a better life have acquired a richer and more profound era-specific connotation. Merely satisfying material needs as in the past is no longer sufficient; we must adapt to the development requirements of the New Era, taking the satisfaction of the people’s diverse needs for a better life as the developmental goal and direction. This should be an important part of the concept of achievements and the evaluation criteria. Only then can the concept of achievements better reflect the new content of the people’s needs in the New Era, serving as a vital guiding principle for officials to create results.
Third, establish achievements that follow the laws of social development. Laws are the inherent, essential, inevitable, and stable connections in the process of things’ movement; they do not change according to human subjective will. Marxist dialectical materialism emphasizes the objectivity of laws while requiring people to actively exercise subjective initiative on the premise of recognizing these laws to achieve the goals of understanding and transforming the world. Creating results must be based on following objective laws. Leading officials at all levels should be educated to produce achievements for the people and through practical work, consciously acting according to laws and eliminating the practice of "new officials ignoring the debts of their predecessors" [2], "image projects" (形象工程), and "prestige projects" (政绩工程) [3]. Violating objective laws, being completely divorced from reality, blindly launching projects, and expanding scales to create so-called "face projects" (面子工程) or "image projects" will ultimately result in a waste of labor and money and endless harm. Practice is the most impartial judge; any behavior that deviates from reality, violates laws, seeks quick success and instant benefits, or resorts to fraud will only be proven false by practice, rejected by the people, and punished by history.
Fourth, establish achievements that integrate into the overall situation of the cause of the Party and the state. Those who do not plan for the whole cannot plan for a single part. In creating achievements, Party members and officials must keep in mind the "Top Priorities of the Nation" [4] and plan affairs with a global perspective and strategic vision. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must enhance the sense of the overall situation, firmly establish the idea of the ‘national chess game,’ persist in calculating the ‘big account’ and the ‘long-term account,’ and avoid small calculations or clever tricks. We must integrate regional and departmental work into the overall situation of the cause of the Party and the state, and consciously prevent and oppose individualism, decentralism, liberalism, and departmentalism." Keeping the "Top Priorities of the Nation" in mind requires leading officials to think about issues and handle affairs from a global and strategic height. This also requires correctly handling important relationships such as "visible merits" (显功) versus "latent merits" (潜功) [5], the present versus the long term, and development versus security. We must use the correct concept of achievements as guidance, employing dialectical and systemic thinking to handle realistic contradictions and problems, striving to create results that serve the overall situation of the Party and the state.
3. Resolving the issue of "by what means achievements are made"
Establishing and practicing a correct concept of achievements also requires resolving the issue of "by what means achievements are made"—that is, the practical criteria, attitudes, and methods. This is like the problem of "the bridge or the boat" after the task of "crossing the river" has been proposed; if the attitude is not upright or the method is incorrect, the so-called crossing of the river is just empty talk. So, by what means can we truly create results that withstand the tests of practice, the people, and history?
First, rely on the guidance of scientific theory. The process of Party members and officials creating results cannot be separated from the guidance of scientific theory. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as the latest theoretical achievement of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, plays a vital guiding role in our understanding and transformation of the world. Creating results in practice is inseparable from this scientific guidance. The correct concept of achievements takes the Marxist concept of achievements as its theoretical basis and the great practice of the New Era as its realistic basis, providing an important ideological follow-through and action guide for Party members and officials.
Second, rely on strong Party spirit. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In establishing and practicing a correct concept of achievements, Party spirit plays the decisive role. Only by having a strong Party spirit and abandoning selfish desires can we ensure that the concept of achievements does not deviate." A strong and solid Party spirit is the robust political guarantee for establishing and practicing a correct concept of achievements. Without solid Party spirit cultivation, when facing issues, one will "act from the interests of individuals or small groups, being impetuous, seeking quick success, resorting to fraud, and acting blindly and recklessly," which will inevitably "leave behind burdens and hidden dangers, causing strong dissatisfaction among the masses." To this end, Party members and officials must establish a noble sentiment of dedicating themselves to the cause of the Party and the people, concentrate on fulfilling the sacred duties entrusted by the Party and the people, and return the trust of the Party and the people with first-class results.
Third, rely on solid work (真抓实干). "Though the road is long, one will arrive by walking; though the task is difficult, it will be completed by doing." Socialism is achieved through work, and all great causes are successfully completed through solid work. Only by working in a down-to-earth manner can we truly do practical things beneficial to the cause of the Party and the people, and truly establish results that withstand the test of history. As long as we carry forward the style of seeking truth and being pragmatic, persevere over the long term, handle one thing after another, and work year after year, we will surely turn the grand blueprint into a beautiful reality.
Fourth, rely on taking responsibility and fulfilling duties. On the new journey, the road will not always be flat. "We will face many major challenges, major risks, major resistances, and major contradictions; leading officials must have a strong spirit of responsibility." Having the courage to take responsibility and act is both an essential political character for leading officials and their fundamental duty in government. "Avoiding affairs while in office is a lifelong shame" [6]; taking responsibility and fulfilling duties is the basic requirement for leading officials at all levels. "Holding office in one place" means "benefiting that area." General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Officials must take responsibility; the scale of the cause depends on the amount of responsibility taken, and the level of achievement depends on the extent of duty fulfilled." Leading officials must devote themselves to the Party, work day and night for the public, and perform their duties for the Party and the people with a sense of "constantly worrying" responsibility and a spirit of proactive action.
Fifth, rely on tackling tough challenges. Currently, China’s reform and development have entered the "deep-water zone," and many "hard bones" [7] are laid before us. Should we advance despite the difficulties or take a detour? Should we dare to confront the tough issues or be timid? These directly test the tenacious will and fighting spirit of Party members and officials. The broad masses of Party members and officials must face various difficulties, contradictions, and risks head-on, maintaining the heroic spirit of "the more difficult and dangerous the path, the more one advances," working hard and tackling tough challenges to create results through responsibility and win the hearts of the people through diligent effort.
Sixth, rely on strict assessment. Strict assessment is an important guarantee for ensuring that Party members "produce achievements for the people and through practical work." In improving assessment methods, we should guide officials to "consciously eliminate the practices of being unconventional just for the sake of it, being overambitious, engaging in flowery but useless actions, wasting labor and money, or new officials ignoring the debts of their predecessors when pursuing achievements." To this end, we must improve the differentiated assessment and evaluation system, enhance the pertinence and scientific nature of assessment, and prevent the vicious cycle where "numbers produce officials, and officials produce numbers" [8]. On the new journey, leading officials at all levels must firmly establish a correct concept of achievements, strive to create results that withstand the test of practice, the people, and history, and constantly open up new situations for Chinese-path modernization.